Fabeltierbrunnen

The Fabeltierbrunnen stands in Schleswig on the Schleipromenade beside the inner fjord. Klaus Kütemeier of Delmenhorst cast it in bronze and granite during 1994 and 1995. A playful creature rises from the water, its body shaped like a tortoise and its face like a frog. Water spouts from the frog’s mouth into the circular basin below. Around the rim, small bronze panels show the artist’s own sketches. The fountain is worth a pause because it turns a simple drinking place into a work of art. Kütemeier chose bronze for durability and granite for weight so the piece would survive the damp northern air. Its odd shape invites children to spot the tortoise and frog features. The sketches on the basin give visitors a glimpse of how the design grew from quick drawings. Visitors find the bronze animal rising from the granite base, water always flowing from its open mouth. The Schleipromenade offers benches where people sit and watch the fountain. Nearby railings run along the fjord, giving views over the water and the old town. The promenade itself is paved with large stones, making it easy to walk to the fountain from the town centre.